THERE WAS ALREADY THIS VILLAGE AND THERE WAS NO ONE, DESERT... HISTORICAL CONSCIOUSNESS OF THE VILLAGERS OF LAPUSHNA

The main theme of this article is historical consciousness of the people from a Moldavian village of Lapushna. A narrative of memory and of history are being presented as two types of narrative which shape peoples' historical consciousness. The authoress discusses relations between them to show how they influence imaginations about the past. She studies also the history of the village and the country, and describes how it is presented by villagers and what determines such imagination of the past. The authoress traces changes in Moldavian historiography and their impact on local stories. Themes presented in this article also touch upon a few legends: about the genesis of Moldavia and Lapushna, about hidden gold, and about a Turkish tower, as well as the evolution of the image of the Moldavian hospodar (duke) Alexander Lapushneanu, who was born in Lapushna. The authoress also talks about construction of symbols, examples of which are the village anthem and coat of arms.